Replaceing the Login Screen Under MacOS X (10.2)

i didnt know you could replace the login screen, or are you talking about the bootup screen in actuality :confused:
 
Ok? It opens under HexEdit. I really dont know what to do at this point.

PS: Im not talking about the boot image, but how to replace the LogIn screen. I KNOW IN 10.1 that all you have to do is replace an image. So..... how do u do it in 10.2 because ther is no image to replace
 
I haven't tried the above mentioned utility, but I have used Visage, but only to change the login background image, althought it looks like it does what else you want to do.
 
If you wish to replace the apple logo in the login window, the file you need to replace is /System/Library/CoreServices/SecurityAgent.app/Contents/Resources/loginpanel.tiff To replace the background behind the login window, you need to replace the file /Library/"Desktop Pictures"/"Aqua Blue.jpg" If you wish to change the size or position of the image in the login window, you can edit the file /System/Library/CoreServices/SecurityAgentPlugins/loginwindow.bundle/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/login.nib in Interface builder. You will, of course, have to be root or change privileges in order to do these modifications. Or, as mentioned above, you can use a utility such as Visage. I prefer to do it manually, however, as then I know exactly what is happening and how to undo it if I do not like the results. I have replaced my background image with one of a shark underwater, and the apple logo with a cutout of the same image, making the login window look transparent. I think it looks rather neat :)
 
That would be the /System/Library/CoreServices/SecurityAgent.app/Contents/Resources/loginpanel.tiff file. So to replace your login screen, you would do the following. I don't know your level of expertise, so i'll try to keep the directions simple:

1)Download and decompress the desired file
2)In the terminal, type 'cd /System/Library/CoreServices/SecurityAgent.app/Contents/Resources/' (without the quotes)
3)Type 'sudo cp loginpanel.tiff loginpanel.tif.bak' (again, without the quotes). This will make a backup copy of the current image.
4)type 'sudo cp /[path to downloaded file]/loginpanel.tiff ./' (no quo... ah, you get the idea ;) ) Replace [path to downloaded file] with the actual path, or you can just drag the downloaded loginpanel.tiff file into the terminal window after typing sudo cp, and it will be filled in for you.

That's it. Log out, and you should see the new image in the login window. However, depending on the size of the image, it may be cropped somewhat. If this is the case, hopefully the download also included a file named "login.nib". This file would then need to be placed in the directory /System/Library/CoreServices/SecurityAgentPlugins/loginwindow.bundle/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/ This can be done using the same procedure as outlined above for the loginpanel.tiff file, but you would need to replace the path listed there with this one, and where before you typed 'cp', you would now need to type 'cp -r' (since it is a directory as far as the terminal is concerned) For the most part, these directions should be included with the downloads, however as you are in 10.2, the directories listed in the downloaded files may be incorrect. Those listed above should work.

I hope this helps. Good luck, and be sure to post again if anything is unclear.
 
It didn't work :rolleyes: I did everything you said, STEP BY STEP. Could you just go to /System/Library/CoreServices/SecurityAgent.app/Contents/Resources/ and just replace the loginpanel.tiff file?

Should I try once more and just take a picture of it so you can see for yourself :confused:
 
Originally posted by BIGDOGquake3
It didn't work :rolleyes: I did everything you said, STEP BY STEP.
Click to expand...

Really? hmmm... Now what did I miss? Did you get any errors? granted, you probably would have mentioned them if so, but... :p

Could you just go to /System/Library/CoreServices/SecurityAgent.app/Contents/Resources/ and just replace the loginpanel.tiff file?
Click to expand...

well, yes and no. Yes in that the commands I listed are supposed to do exactly that. However, if you tried to do it by simply dragging files around in the finder, you would find you do not have permissions to mess with those files. Any method of getting around this problem (changing permissions on the file and enclosing folder, logging in as root, using the sudo command in the terminal, etc.) should work however. Also, although as I mentioned before I prefer to do things like this manually, there are some utilities out there that can do it for you (as mentioned earlier). If this isn't working, and you haven't already, you may wish to give them a try.

Should I try once more and just take a picture of it so you can see for yourself :confused:
Click to expand...

Sure. Pictures are often helpful in situations like this. Is it not doing anything, or is it just not doing what you wanted? The general procedure should work, as I have done it on mine about fifty times in the past few days (I've been experimenting with a new theme, and I keep forgetting to tell it not to mess with my login window :p ) however there is apparently something I am forgetting here if it isn't working on yours. Hopefully we can get it working before I start taking it personally ;) If anyone else knows what we are missing here, feel free to jump in!
 
Im going to try and login as root and replace the file If that doesn't work then I will do it your way one more time and take pictures of it so you could see what im doin wrong :p
 
Oh Shit, I see what it's doing. It's replaceing the apple logo at the top of the login panel. That works, but the image I have is the hole login panel. What im trrying to say is that I want to replace the hole login panel, not just the apple logo :(

PS: The image I have is a .tiff so I can't attach it to this post (MacOSX.com wont let me). So could you give me your e-mail, so you can see the image im trying to replace :confused:
 
Understood. Did the file you downloaded come with a login.nib file? If not, then either

a) You will need to edit your existing login.nib file (located at /System/Library/CoreServices/SecurityAgentPlugins/loginwindow.bundle/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/login.nib/) so the apple logo graphic fills the entire login window, or

b) I could e-mail you mine, which is already edited in this way, and you could simply swap it out.

My e-mail address is macavenger@macosx.com, also linked in my sig. Feel free to send me the pic, and I'll make sure that the login.nib I send you is edited correctly.
 
.nib files contain information about the appearance of applications. Things like window size and position, image size and position, text entry field size and position, etc. Also menu information such as what menus an application will have and what the titles of the menu items will be. I believe that the .nib files also contain other data, such as how the various objects interact with each other, but that is beyond my level of expertise.

The login.nib file, specifically, contains the parameters for the login window, such as how big the window will be, where the login/restart/shutdown buttons and name/password entry fields will be, and how large and where in the window the loginpanel.tiff file will be displayed.
 
Allmost! I put all the files in the nessary places and it worked, sorta'. The login window is smaller. I cant see the log on button or the picture on the top. Maby you need to edit the .nib file more or maby I just need a new image :rolleyes:


Well Im going to bed, Its late (about 12) and I have school. So let me know if you get any where!
 
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